


Ambush

by spark_plugx



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, M/M, No one important dies, Romance, Tangled inspired, elise speaks the truth, siblings taking bets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-09-30 00:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10149194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spark_plugx/pseuds/spark_plugx
Summary: “Corrin,” Niles pulled away a little so he could look at the prince, taking in his features in case this field was his final resting place. “My life is yours,” Corrin stared at him, then opened his mouth to say something, but was yanked away from Niles before he could say a word.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my laptop for over a year. Sorry if it's kind of hard to tell at what point in gameplay this story takes place? I didn't want to spoil anything for people who haven't yet beaten the game (AKA me but i already spoiled it for myself. i accidently deleted my game file so I had to start over okay please dont judge me lol)

Niles stood by Corrin as they scouted the area, keeping a tight hold on his bow, an arrow ready to fly in case a threat appeared. While finding this group of bandits was important, his eye was focused on Corrin. 

The prince looked puzzled, and very attractive, in the sunlight, red eyes squinting as he searched for any traces of the bandits. “Are we in the right location?” He turned to the archer as he asked this. “Elise and Sakura said that the woman in town claimed they ran off this way, but I don’t see any signs of them.” 

“Lady Elise was sure of herself and so was Lady Sakura,” Niles replied, but he agreed with the prince, there was no signs of this area being an escape for a group of bandits. It was just outside of town, a lightly forested area. If he had been in the group he would have gone north towards the mountains. There was another town towards that way and villagers would give up their chase with the rockier terrain. Still, when two of Corrin's sisters ran up to him begging him to go after the bandits, Niles didn’t hesitate to join him. 

Leo had placed Corrin in Niles care all those months ago in their first battle together and even though the war was over and peace was brought to the two kingdoms, Niles stayed in Corrin’s ragtag team. Partly for his Lord’s order, and partly because he had grown attached to the dragon prince. He was fun to tease, his cheeks got as red as his eyes whenever Niles made a suggestive comment, and the amount of trust he placed in Niles was unreal. Niles couldn’t walk away from the affectionate smiles and touches that Corrin gave him and how Corrin paid no mind to his past, instead focusing on his present and future. 

Plus, it made Niles smirk when Corrin chose him rather than his Hoshido or Norh siblings, or their retainers, who were just as dedicated to protecting him as his siblings were. 

Corrin was well loved on both sides, but that was no surprise to Niles. Corrin deserved all that love and more. 

“This is strange,” Corrin mumbled as Niles took a step closer to him, starting to get an uneasy feeling in his gut. Nothing added up. One woman was the only one who saw a group of bandits run this way? And it just so happened that two Princesses were nearby and she went straight to them instead of any of the numerous soldiers that were around her? 

“Corrin,” Niles mumbled, having dropped the ‘lord’ long ago at Corrin’s request. “We should leave,” his fingers brushed against Corrin’s and the prince didn’t pull his hand away at the touch. 

“Agreed,” Corrin nodded his head and turned to leave when Niles saw a movement from the corner of his eye. 

“Corrin!” He shouted and leaped in front of the prince, deflecting an arrow that had been shot at the prince. “Looks like we have company.” 

“Thank you, Niles,” Corrin drew his sword, ready to fight and now on his toes. “I shouldn’t have leaped into action and gone running off after the ‘bandits’.” Another arrow came flying and Corrin slashed it in half. “Stop hiding like cowards!” He called out to whoever was attacking them, hidden amongst the brush and trees. He looked to his left, noticing ruffling in a nearby bush, gripping his sword tightly in his hands. 

Niles was working on figuring out the attacker’s plan. Lady Elise told them the group consisted of about six people, he and Corrin could easily take them head on, however, they seemed to be spread out, trying to confuse the two. Corrin was already covering the left and front, Niles had the back and right, so their spread out plan wouldn’t work well either. 

He felt Corrin step back so their backs were pressed against one another, easing Niles’ nerves slightly. 

The arrow on the ground seemed familiar to him, but even as he racked his memory, he couldn’t quite place where he remembered it from. A gleam to the right pulled him out of his thoughts and he blocked the attack, not allowing them to get close to Corrin. The figure flipped back and landed on its feet a few feet away, sword in each hand. They looked up and Niles froze, recognizing them. 

“Niles?” Corrin questioned when he felt Niles tense up after the attack.

“Well well, you don’t look too happy to see us, eh?” Corrin turned to a male who emerged from a bush with an archer following him. He was short with broad shoulders and carried a slim sword while the archer was tall with her long hair braided down her back. They both wore matching smirks with the axe-wielding man who came from the front. “You’re not even going to greet us, Niles?” Corrin looked behind him and saw two more figures approach, a female in a cloak and a male with a broader sword. With a swordsman and an archer to his left, an axe man in front, a mage and a mercenary from behind, and another swordsman on his right, he and Niles were completely surrounded. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Niles spat, feeling anger rise up in him like a tidal wave. He gripped his bow and arrow more tightly, memories flooding back in him, rushing him all at once. He felt Corrin brush his arm against his own, as subtle check to make sure Niles was okay, something he always did in battle to reassure the archer that he was by his side. He couldn’t let himself get carried away here, Corrin’s safety was the main objective. 

“Who are you people?” Corrin asked, trying to understand the situation. He was taken back by the group’s amusement to his question, not understanding what was so funny about any of this. “Niles…?” He glanced to his archer for answers. “How do they know you?” 

“We were his friends before he left us to play servant to the royals,” the short male who seemed to be the leader of the group said, earning a few chuckles from the others. 

“Friends? I think not. They’re the ones who left me as a decoy to face Lord Leo on my own,” Niles told Corrin, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He saw Corrin frown and bare his teeth after hearing this, holding back a growl. “That’s Per, Kit, Griff, Helo, Ida, and Tra.” He muttered, nodding to each person, ready to shoot them all. 

“What do you want?” Corrin questioned, tightening his grip on his sword. Were they here to take Niles back? Corrin would not allow that; ever. They must have wanted something to have led them out here to this field on the outskirts of the village. 

“No need to get worked up, you’re highness, we’re not here to try and take him back,” Per said, keeping the same relaxed smile on his face, enjoying how the two were getting so worked up. “We’re here to take you.”

“What?!” Corrin exclaimed as the group rushed them. 

Niles kneed Ida in the stomach and knocked Griff’s feet out from under him before he could even swing at Corrin. “You’re not taking him anywhere!” He lashed out harshly, refusing to let them touch his prince. Corrin meant more to him than anything, which frightened him because Corrin was so trusting, kind-hearted, and wonderful, while Niles was rough, disgusting, and scarred, but be damned if he would let anything happen to the prince.

Niles still remembered how each member of the group fought, and he and Corrin were so synced in battle, being outnumbered meant nothing. They had fought against numerous types of enemies before, each time they worked flawlessly together. Syncing up with the prince in the beginning wasn’t difficult per say, but it was definitely unusually. Niles couldn’t understand how Corrin trusted him to have his back in battle when he barely knew him. Had the prince grown up in a grossly optimistic environment?

However, he quickly learned that the prince, while optimistic and hopeful, faced plenty of cruelty inside his sheltered fortress. Normally that didn’t faze Niles much, but Corrin was different, he always had been different. He had been malnourished and brushed off to the side, locked inside all day, only receiving attention from a few servants and his siblings when they had the chance to see him. Yet, he still turned out to think that peace was an option and that he could make this world better. Niles knew Corrin had held back whenever he shared stories of his childhood when the two were alone in the bath. He would always make sure to talk about how Camilla would brush his hair and sing to him, or how Leo would bring him new books to read with beautiful and colorful pictures. Still, all the happy stories didn’t distract from how sickly pale Corrin had been due to being inside all the time, or how his ribs had been visible whenever he was shirtless. Now he was lightly tan and far healthier, but Niles remembered it all.

Niles continued to fend off the attacks, growing more and more frustrated that all the attacks were aimed at Corrin. What did they want with the prince? To hold him for ransom? 

That had to be it, because both kingdoms would pay anything for the return of the shared prince. 

Corrin was too focused on the mercenary to see the double swordsman rush up on the side. Niles didn’t hesitate as he blocked the attack, thinking he had done a good job at deflecting it until he felt a massive amount of pain in his side. He saw Helo pull back a sword, shining with his blood in the sunlight. Niles had been hurt plenty of times before, one of his worst being his eye, so his pain tolerance was high, but this wound made him clutch his side with one hand, barely holding his bow in the other. 

“Perfect,” Per grinned and Corrin turned at the sound of Niles’ groan.

“Niles!” Corrin exclaimed, his free hand circling around Niles’ good side in an effort to help support him. He saw the blood through Niles’ shirt and felt panic and anger build up inside him. How dare they hurt Niles! His knuckles turned white as he gripped his sword and glared at Per, getting angrier the longer he glared at the male’s amused face. 

“Got you good, eh Niles? Helo cuts pretty deep,” Per spoke and Niles wanted nothing more than to shoot an arrow straight through his mouth, but he was right, Helo cut deep. His knees begin to wobble and Corrin lowered him to the ground, easing a little of the pain, but not much. “You’re greatly outnumbered your highness, so go ahead and give in.”

“NO!” Niles looked at Corrin as he roared, his teeth growing sharper and nails turning into claws. He curled in on himself before transforming into his dragon form, letting out a loud roar as he stomped the ground. Was Corrin going to try and take them all on by himself? Niles tried to stand to back him up, but the wound was too grave and only caused him further pain. 

“Corrin, get out of here,” He told the dragon, but the beast shook his head, stomping his front hoof and blowing out air from his nostrils. 

“No! I’m going to protect you!” Corrin growled and slammed his tail into Helo, sending him rolling across the ground. He was so angry that he didn’t think twice about going for the kill as he attacked them. All he could think about was making sure Niles’ made it out alive. He let out another roar, praying his siblings would hear its echoes and come running to their aid. 

“Might want to quiet down, your highness, and not let your emotions cloud your judgment, unless you want Niles’ life cut shorter than it already is.” This made Corrin pause and look back at Niles, who was breathing heavily and clutching at his side with both hands, trying to slow the bleeding. They locked eyes and Corrin saw Niles’ eye get wide and mouth open as a chain looped around Corrin’s neck and yanked forward. He stumbled down onto his front legs, startled by pull and saw the axe man holding the other end of the chain tightly. “We were expecting you to go all out, so we came prepared. As you can tell by how easily we struck Niles’ down and how we were able to predict your dragon tantrum, we’ve been tailing you for the past few weeks.” 

“You bastard!” Niles gritted his teeth as he watched Corrin struggle against the chain, weakened by the previous fighting. “Corrin, you can still get out of this!” Why didn’t Corrin run already? Staying and fighting wasn’t going to do any good. 

“I’m not leaving you!” He heard Corrin growl and he watched the prince transform back into his human form in front of Niles, hands going to his neck to try and loosen the chain that was choking him. 

“Griff, no need for yanking now, he’s not going anywhere,” Per told the axe man and Corrin looked back to Niles and scrambled over to him, almost touching him before being stopped by the chain, just out of reach of Niles. 

“Let me help him!” Corrin said, throat strained against the chain, desperate to get to Niles. He could tell that Niles was fading out and he had to save him, he couldn’t lose him here! “Niles!” He whined as the outlaw closed his eye too long for Corrin’s liking. 

“Relax, little prince, I’m fine,” Niles knew there was no truth behind his words as he reopened his good eye, seeing Corrin’s worried red eyes staring him down, but he had to ease Corrin’s nerves somehow. 

“No you’re not, please, let me help him!” Corrin begged, even though he didn’t want to beg to these monsters. He wanted to slash their faces off but Niles was far more important right now and he wasn’t going to make it much longer. “I promise I’ll go with you without fighting, but please, let me help him.” 

“Corrin, don’t say that!” Niles exclaimed, leaning forward to make another attempt at standing, but failed miserably and winced. 

“Oh? And what if I don’t let you help him?” Per questioned, having fun with teasing the two. “I never did like Niles much, so watching him bleed out would bring me an immense amount of joy.” 

“The only thing I’m good for to you is ransom, and I’m worth nothing if I’m dead,” Corrin told him. “I’ll kill myself. I’ll starve myself, I’ll fight you until my heart gives out and all you have left is my dead body.” Niles froze, terrible thoughts of Corrin suffering and forcing himself to die flooding his mind. “If you let me help him, I won’t fight.” 

Per thought for a moment, before looking to Griff and nodding his head. The axe man gave Corrin more chain, allowing him to scramble over to Niles, hands instantly going to the wound to examine it. 

“I have an elixir in my pouch, it’ll stop the bleeding and ease the pain,” Corrin mumbled as Niles leaned forward and rested his forehead against Corrin’s shoulder. 

“Corrin, you need to escape. Forget me, I’m nothing,” he couldn’t live if he let the group take his prince away, doing gods know what to him. Corrin continued to search his bag until he found the medicine and uncapped the bottle. He poured a little into his palm and pressed it to Niles’ side. Niles let out a hiss as it burned, but knew that the small amount of pain was worth it. Corrin waited a second before pushing Niles upright and putting the bottle to Niles’ lips, forcing him to drink the rest of the liquid. 

“Niles, you could never be nothing to me, please don’t ever say that,” Corrin said, feeling tears start to form, but he forced them back. He knew the others heard his roars and the elixir was a strong one that Sakura and Elise had created together, it would fix any wound. He put the bottle down when Niles was done and let Niles lean against him once more. 

“I’m supposed to protect you,” Niles mumbled, knowing he had failed. Corrin was the only person he cared about so highly, even more so than Leo, and he was being taken away by the bastards that had left him to die all those years ago. 

“You did, that’s why you’re hurt,” Corrin didn’t know how to express to Niles how grateful he was for everything the outlaw had done for him since the day he showed up in Corrin’s life. He made him feel so many amazing things and this was how Corrin repaid him? “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have rushed into this. I didn’t consider your life being on the line.”

“Corrin,” Niles pulled away a little so he could look at the prince, taking in his features incase this field was his final resting place. “My life is yours,” Corrin stared at him, then opened his mouth to say something, but was yanked away from Niles before he could say a word. 

“That’s enough, love birds.” Kit, the tall archer, said and put cloth in Corrin’s mouth and tied it behind his head to act as a gag as the mage, Ida, forced his arms back and bound his wrists together with more chain. Corrin winced at the actions but didn’t fight back, not wanting any more harm to come to Niles. 

“This was far easier than I thought it was going to be,” Per said as Ida pulled on Corrin’s bound wrists and forced him to stand. “I never thought you’d ever have a soft spot for anyone, Niles, especially for someone as innocent and sweet as our prince here.” 

“Don’t you dare fucking hurt him, you bastard,” Niles threatened, feeling less pain but also feeling dizzier as the medicine started to kick in. 

“I knew the second that I saw you with him the only way to separate you two was by killing one of you. It took some planning but I knew that you’d blindly follow him anywhere he wanted to go, and that was your downfall,” Per said as he looked down at Niles. “Aren’t you getting a sense of déjà vu? Us leaving you to die? Well, you’ll actually die this time. Not like an elixir will save you now. Hope you had a good goodbye because this is the last you’ll ever see each other; ever.” 

Corrin looked at Niles until Griff tugged on the chain, causing Corrin to make a choking sound. The prince let himself be lead towards the mountains. Niles watched him, vision blurry, until his body gave out and he collapsed to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno I imagine that Corrin has a good nose? Like he can recognize people he’s familiar with scents because they’re comforting and he’s part dragon his senses might be better than others.

“I know I heard it!” Elise exclaimed in panic, yanking on Hinoka’s sleeve. Sakura was already ahead of the two girls, heading towards the outskirts of the town. 

“What’s going on?” Leo asked, hurrying after the three girls, just as confused as Hinoka was about the situation. They had been on their way to join the others for lunch when the younger girls ran up to them in a panic. Elise was dramatic, but Sakura was usually level headed, and her panic made the older siblings worry. 

“We heard Corrin’s roar, h-he sounded like he needed help!” Sakura called back to them. Leo and Hinoka looked at each other before picking up their speed, Elise no longer having to yank at Hinoka’s sleeve. 

“He should be fine, he has Niles with him!” Leo told the others, but this didn’t ease his nerves, it actually made them worse. Niles would never let anything harm Corrin, so did that mean something happened to Niles? All four slowed to a stop as they reached the field, eyes roaming the area for any signs of the two males. “Is that—Niles!” Leo begin to run again, much faster now, when he saw Niles’ blue cloak amongst the green grass. 

“Niles?” Elise repeated and ran after Leo, Sakura and Hinoka behind her. There was no way that it was Niles, he was way too tough! 

“Gods no,” Leo reached the cloak, seeing Niles on the ground with it. He fell to his knees as the others approached and hesitantly reached out a hand, scared of what he would discover when he checked for a pulse. He let out a sigh when he felt a pulse and looked to Sakura and Elise for help. “He has a pulse, but it’s not very strong.” He quickly stood and back away as Elise and Sakura moved in, carefully getting the outlaw onto his back to examine him. 

“Oh Niles…” Elise mumbled once she saw the blood on his side and the gash hidden by the torn cloth. She and Sakura went to work with the supplies they had—not much—but they made sure he was stable until they could get him back to camp.

“What happened?” Hinoka questioned as the two girls patched up her brother’s best friend. She didn’t care for how crass Niles could be, but he was tough and stood by Corrin’s side in every battle she fought with them. “Wait…where’s Corrin?” She and Leo looked at each other before running off to opposite sides of the fields, searching for him. They returned as Elise and Sakura were finishing up with Niles, no luck in finding their brother. 

“C-Corrin would never leave Niles like this,” Sakura said, brushing Niles’ bangs out of his face. “He’ll be okay, we found this by him.” She held up the elixir bottle and Leo let out another sigh of relief, thanking the gods that his retainer and best friend would be okay, but tensed up when he remembered that Corrin was still missing. 

“He drank the Elixir that Sakura and I made for Corrin, so Corrin had to have given it to him,” Elise nodded her head after she said this, looking up at the two older siblings. “It stopped the bleeding and dulled the pain, but his body was still under a lot of strain, so he passed out.” 

“But then what happened to Corrin?” Hinoka asked as the sun begin to set. Her eyes caught something in the grass a little ways from Niles and she hurried over to it, gasping when she saw it. “It’s Corrin’s sword,” she said as she picked it up and turned to the others. 

“You guys, he had to have been taken!” Elise exclaimed, voice rising in pitch. “He would never leave his sword and he would never leave an ally injured like that, especially Niles.”

“He would have had to have been dragged away from Niles by force,” Leo muttered, thinking it over. He knew how close Corrin and Niles were and neither would leave each other’s sides in battle, especially if the other was injured. “We need to get Niles back to camp, immediately. He knows what happens and we need to make sure he’s okay.” He returned to his retainer’s side and slowly lifted him up, Hinoka supporting the other side, passing off the sword to Sakura as Elise grabbed Niles’ bow and arrows.

\--  
Niles felt something press against his side and he groaned, not liking the feeling. He also didn’t like how his head was pounding, like his brain was trying to beat its way out of his skull. He opened his good eye, squinting in the light, before he was able to fully open it and figure out where he was. 

“Hello, how are you feeling?” He heard a soft voice ask and he slowly turned his head, seeing Sakura sitting on a stool by his side, pressing a cloth to his wound. He realized he was on a bed in one of the medical rooms at their home camp and that meant—

“—Corrin!” He exclaimed, startling Sakura, causing her to yelp, as he sat up in bed, searching for the prince around the room. He groaned in pain, side screaming at him to lay back down, which he did—unhappily. 

“What’s wrong?” Leo ran into the room, hearing Sakura’s yelp and Niles’ cry for his brother. Once he saw everything was okay, he nodded his head at Sakura, telling her to continue treating the wound. “I’ll go get everyone else while you finish up. I’ll just be a minute.” With that the Nohr prince was gone once more. Niles laid still, his hazy mind sorting out the memories, trying to piece together what happened in his final moments of conscious out in the field while Sakura finished treating his wound. 

She finished just as everyone—all of Corrin’s siblings—entered the room, some standing, some sitting on the other beds or stools. Niles let out a frustrated sigh and sat up again, this time much more slowly and with Elise helping him, now that she sat on a stool on the side opposite of Sakura. He looked up at them and gripped the sheets. 

“It was an ambush, actually it was more like a set up,” he told them, looking at their mixed expressions. “The bandits, they were the group I used to be in.” He felt ashamed at admitting that and he knew Ryoma and Takumi most likely wanted to give him a new wound on the other side of his body to match his current one. “They surrounded us and we were doing fine until…” Niles never felt more shaken up before in his life. 

“Until?” Takumi questioned, impatient with how slow this story was going. 

“Helo, the double swordman, he came at Corrin’s side and I didn’t think, I just jumped in front of it. Per knew I was going to do it too, he said he had been trailing us for weeks. They had been planning on how to kidnap Corrin. I tried but I couldn’t fight with it, it was too deep. I told Corrin to leave but he refused and transformed into a dragon, but he was already tired from fighting and Griff lassoed a chain around his neck and forced him down. He should have fled but he wouldn’t and told them he’d go with them if they let him help me. He gave me that elixir and they dragged him away from me as I blacked out.” He explained, ready for them to blame him for it. “I’m so sorry. I told him to leave but he wouldn’t.” 

“It’s not your fault, Niles,” Leo was the first to speak, coming to his retainer’s aid. “There was no way of knowing it was an ambush and you and I and everyone who’s ever met Corrin knows he would never leave an injured friend.” 

“We’re going to get him back!” Elise was the next to speak, determination in her voice and face. “No one takes my big brother and hurts you and gets away with it!”

“Elise is r-right, we’re going to get him back,” Sakura spoke up, nodding her head at Elise. “We need to go find that woman in the village that told us that lie. She’s got to know something. She was the whole reason why Corrin and Niles went after the bandits in the first place.”

“We’ll need to know everything you know about this group, alright?” Xander stated, taking charge of the situation, giving it some organization. “Once we know who we’re dealing with, we’ll be able to alert both kingdoms and have eyes on the ground everywhere.”

“We probably have a few days until they send us the letter about kidnapping Corrin. We have the upper hand since they think you’re dead,” Ryoma added, looking to Niles before looking at the others. “We’ll find him, no matter what.”

\--

“Can I leave yet?” Niles asked Elise, needing to go out to help look for Corrin. He had been stuck in bed the past three days and he was going insane. He couldn’t sleep while Corrin was in danger. 

“Niles, I know you want to save Corrin but what good will you be if you’re hurt?” Elise questioned, pouting at him. “You need to rest!”

“I can’t,” he sighed in frustration as Elise begin to heal his side again. “It’s my fault. He’s gone because of me,” he felt the warmth stop and he turned to see Elise with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Lady Elise?”

“It’s not your fault! Don’t you dare say that!” She exclaimed, cheeks red. “Corrin made the choice to save you because he cares about you! He wouldn’t want you blaming yourself, he’d want you to rest and heal as quickly as possible! So you better stop moving and rest so you can go save him!”

Niles listened to her, not wanting to anger her anymore. 

“That’s what I thought!” She huffed from beside him, but continued to cry. “Aw, I didn’t want to cry, I was doing so well!” She whined, wiping her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Lady Elise. I didn’t mean to upset you,” he had a soft spot for her. She was always kind to him, even when he didn’t deserve it. She was optimistic and a bit naïve, but she was brave and relentless. 

“It’s not you, it’s the situation. I really miss Corrin and I hate seeing you like this,” he felt the warmth at his side again, “I won’t let my tears stop me! We’re going to get you all healed up and find my big brother.” 

Niles remained quiet, letting her calm down and stop crying as she continued to heal him. “My brother really likes you,” she murmured, focusing on his wound. It was looking far better now, hopefully by tomorrow it would just be another scar to add to his collection. 

“I would hope so, it would be awkward for him to not like his retainer that he picked himself,” Niles chuckled as Elise pressed her lips together in annoyance.

“Not Leo, Niles,” she said and he gave her a questioning look. “Corrin. He really likes you. I think he likes you more than all of us.”

“I highly doubt that, Lady Elise,”

“He picks you to be his partner in all the battles!”

“Corrin knows who works best with who. Do you not like being partnered with Odin?” Niles questioned. 

“No, he’s funny, but that’s not what I meant. You like him, don’t you? You smile a lot when you’re with him. He smiles a lot with you too,” Elise kept healing him as she spoke and Niles looked away with pink cheeks.

“Ah, Lady Elise—“ Was this really something to be talking about now? 

“I know, I know, it’s none of my business. If you two want to walk around the truth that everyone can see, then so be it!” She winked and giggled, pleased with his reaction. “Well, that’s what Camilla and Hinoka say anyway. It’s okay, we’ll get Corrin back and then you can tell him that you love him.”

“Lady Elise…” he sighed, wanting to end this conversation. It was embarrassing to find out that others knew about his feelings for Corrin. “That is a matter I would prefer to not talk about. Ever.”

“What? Why?” Elise questioned, eyes wide. “Why don’t you want to tell him?”

Did Elise really have to ask that? Niles didn’t want to be rejected. Not by Corrin. 

“Are you healing him, or harassing him?” Leo asked in the doorway, not looking amused. 

“I’m healing him!” Elise told him. Niles gave Leo a nod, thankful he prevented the painful conversation that was sure to ensure if he hadn’t intervened. The prince wouldn’t return his feelings, he saw him as a friend and nothing else. “Boys are so stupid…” she muttered under her breath. 

\--

Corrin curled in on himself the best he could, trying to stay warm. He usually could handle the cold okay, but he was starving and his body was tired. He was sure they did it on purpose so he would stay weak and easy to transport, but he felt like he would die before they ever got their money. They hadn’t even sent out the ransom note yet, they wanted to wait to make sure the kingdoms knew he was gone, let them sweat it out and get desperate before they demanded money from them. 

They had to know that he was taken though. They must know. Someone had to have found Niles and got him somewhere safe and figured out what happened. 

He raked some hay over his feet, hoping it would help some. His room looked like an old stall for a horse with 1 small window and hay all over the room. His chains gave him some room to move so at least he wasn’t directly chained to the wall. The day they brought him here he had paced, nervous, and could barely sit. This seemed to irritate Ida, who gave him a cup of water, but that was it. 

He got food the next day, if what was in the small bowl was considered food. It was lumpy soup but he didn’t complain. He knew better than to bite the hand that was feeding him. He must have fallen asleep because he was woken by Griff pouring cold water all over him, terrifying him out of his dreams. Griff had told him if he had been awake, he would have gotten to drink that water instead. He left Corrin shivering in the corner of the room, helpless to the cold of the night. 

The second day, or maybe it should be considered the third? Whatever day it was, Per came in to talk to him and Corrin rather be left alone. He told him stories about Niles and ‘adventures’ they went on together. Corrin had ignored him, Niles’ past wasn’t his future, he didn’t care what he had done and he didn’t believe the things Per said about him. Per didn’t like being ignored and left him without any food or water that day. 

Corrin would be fine if the nights weren’t so cold, but they lasted so long and made him so tired. At least Ida came in with food and water earlier, though it was barely enough. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall, wondering if Niles was okay. Corrin couldn’t live with himself if Niles died protecting him. 

He heard the door opened and inwardly groaned when he saw Griff enter. 

“Wakey wakey, prince,” Griff smirked as he approached Corrin. “What are you doing?” 

“Uhm?” Corrin questioned, unsure how to answer that. He wanted to give a smart remark but he knew that was a terrible idea. “I’m sitting here?” 

“Nope, come on,” Griff didn’t give him much time to prepare for movement. He unhooked the chain on the wall and yanked, forcing Corrin forward, pulling at his neck. He stumbled, falling to his knees as Griff pulled him again, dragging him along the floor as Corrin tried to get his bearings. He managed to get up, legs wobbling, before Griff could drag him outside. “Run, jump, play,” Griff told him, giving him a little extra chain. Corrin only stood, shaking in the sun, pleased by its warmth.

From what he could tell, they were in the mountains. There was snow on the outer perimeter of the barn, and a small house a few yards away. He guessed they were in the house if the smoke coming out of the chimney was a clue. 

“Don’t just stand there,” Griff huffed, irritated. He yanked the chain and if he had been at full strength, it wouldn’t bother Corrin too much, but he was distracted by the sun and tired from the torment, so he stumbled. Griff laughed at him and Corrin glared, baring his sharp canines out of anger. “Aww, dragon getting feisty? I ain’t scared of you, freak,” Griff walked off, forcing Corrin to follow towards the wood pile. Corrin stopped, dragging his heels against the dirt as he approached the snow. Griff turned to look at him, watching as he nervously eyed the snow. “Why the hell don’t you have shoes on?” 

“Don’t like shoes,” Corrin had thick feet, now that he thought about it maybe it was the dragon side of him that helped with that. He could walk on snow alright and on hot rocks and be okay for a little while. Last time he was in snow, Niles ended up giving him his cloak. He was so happy then, surrounded in warmth and Niles’ scent. He didn’t have Niles’ cloak to keep him warm now, he had a pitiful pile of hay. 

Griff rolled his eyes and kept walking, forcing Corrin into the snow. Griff tied the chain through his belt before he gathered up wood from the pile. He looked at Corrin and the prince picked the two smallest logs he could, not wanting to waste energy on stupid tasks. “Weakling.” 

Corrin ignored his insult like he did with all the rest.

“Don’t have a reply for that?” Griff asked, glancing back at him as they walked towards the small house. 

“Nothing you say is worse than what my father has said to me,” Corrin kept walking, ignoring the stinging in his feet. He didn’t mean to sound so bitter or let Griff get under his skin, but it was hard to hold back. 

“Prince has daddy issues, eh? Guess that’s why you bonded with Niles so well,” Griff chuckled and kicked the door, waiting a few seconds before Kit opened the it, letting him in with the firewood. Corrin stood at the door, longingly looking at the fire as Griff set his logs in a pile in the hallway. 

“He looks awful,” Kit commented, looking Corrin up and down. “Like he needs to soak in a tub for hours and go to a buffet.”

“He got breakfast. I dumped water on him a day or two ago. That got most of Niles’ blood off him,” Griff took the wood from Corrin and added it to the pile. “If you want to bathe him, go ahead.”

“No thanks, he might turn into a dragon again and go crazy or something,” she shook her head and grabbed a log to go throw on the fire. 

“That’s why we keep him hungry and in the barn. He can’t break free if he’s weak,” Griff grinned and Corrin glared at the ground as Griff stepped back outside. 

“Don’t tease him,” Per said, coming out from another room with a smirk. “You can come sleep in my bed if you promise to be good,” Corrin looked at him with a disgusted expression. Did he really think that would happen? “Ha, don’t think too so highly of yourself, you did crawl into bed with Niles…oh…you didn’t get that far with him?” Per questioned, seeing Corrin’s expression change. “What a shame, we separated you before your romance even begin. I bet you never even got to tell him that you loved him, now you have his blood all over your clothes to remind you that you never will.” 

“Shut up,” Corrin growled, balling his hands into fists at his side. He could feel himself tremble and he needed to calm down. He had no energy to waste on Per’s words. 

“What was that?” Griff questioned and pulled on the chain, forcing Corrin to look at him. He enjoyed yanking him around like he was some kind of animal, Corrin hated it. 

“Don’t talk about him,” Corrin said, looking Griff in the eyes.

“Don’t think you are in the standing to make commands here,” Per came up behind Griff. “You’re our hostage and we can speak about whatever we choose to speak about. Get him back in the stall,” Per nodded towards the barn and once again Griff was pulling him away, Corrin stumbling the whole way, barely able to keep up. His feet were numb from the snow but he tried anyway. 

“There ya go, get in there!” Griff shoved him into the stall and Corrin tripped and fell to the floor, groaning as Griff chained him back up to the wall. “Have a good night.” 

Corrin pushed himself up as Griff shut the door and dragged himself to his corner, burying his feet in the hay. He shook violently, wishing he had Niles’ cloak around him. 

\--

“How are you feeling?”

“Better than I have been these past few days,” Niles replied, slowly getting out of the bed. It felt odd to be moving again, but he was relieved that the wound was completely healed. When he woke that morning, he could stretch without wincing, thank god. “Any news of Corrin?”

“Kaze and Saizo both are staking out a small house that is hidden in the mountains near the field we found you at. They’ve seen characters matching the descriptions you gave us going in and out of the house. I know better than to try and stop you from coming.” Leo eyed him, nerves settling a little when he saw how well his retainer was moving. 

“You’re a brilliant man, Lord Leo,” Niles smirked as he got dressed in the clothes Leo had brought for him. “I will kill the bastards that took your brother with a smile.”

“I expect nothing less.”

Niles followed Leo out of the infirmary, grabbing his bow and arrows on the way out. He was itching to have Corrin by his side again, safe and sound. They met with the other siblings in the meeting room, Ryoma reading from the mission report Saizo had sent him. 

“From this report, Corrin is in the barn on the property. He’s chain up inside, presumably, as they’ve seen him be walked around…” Ryoma gripped the papers tightly, not that anyone could blame him. 

“They chained him up and walked him around like a dog?” Xander questioned as Elise bit her lip. 

“They’ve only seen food go into the barn once since they arrived yesterday morning, and they do not have anyone standing watch outside the barn. They’re most likely keeping him malnourished as a means to keep him from lashing out. The weaker he is, the less likely he is to fight,” Ryoma continued and put the report down.

Niles felt a rush of fury at hearing this. They were starving him and treating him like an animal? He needed to get to Corrin, now.

“We must strike now, before the ransom note is sent out. The second they send it, they will keep someone posted at the barn at all hours as they’ll be expecting search parties and rescue missions,” Xander said and all the siblings agreed with darkened expressions. 

“They won’t be expecting us now,” Camilla said, arms crossed. “My poor Corrin…I’ll cut them up into pieces.” 

Oh man, this was going to be a blood bath. 

“Niles, you and Kaze will head straight to the barn to get him out. Once he’s safe and out of harm’s way, then we’ll launch our attack on the house,” Ryoma said and Niles nodded his head. He wanted to kill the bastards but Corrin was his priority above all else. He was more than happy to let the others do the killing if it meant he had Corrin wrapped up in his arms.

\--

Niles crept along the side of the barn, Kaze right behind him. It was dusk now, the skies dark with clouds, perfect for them. 

“The door makes quite a bit of noise, so we’ll have to be gentle and slow,” Kaze advised when they made it to the front. Of course, it was locked, but Niles picked it in no time, tossing the lock into a pile of snow. The two of them pushed the door open slowly, despite Niles eagerness to get in to rescue Corrin. It was an old door and even though they were careful, it still creaked and moaned as they opened it. 

“Which stall?” Niles questioned when they got into the barn, not bothering to waste time closing the door back. The others were scattered around the property, they were safe for now. 

“I am unsure. We couldn’t see in well enough,” Kaze went to the first stall and opened the door, then closed it, shaking his head. There were four stalls on each side of the barn, eight in total. “This won’t be fun.”

Niles’ eye went straight to the last stall on the right side, his gut telling him Corrin was in that one. He dashed over, holding his breath as he opened the door. He let out his breath when he saw the prince curled against the wall, hay covering his lower half. 

“Corrin?” Niles asked, walking over to him, trying not to startle him. He crouched down in front of him and reached out, putting his hand on the Prince’s cold cheek. Why was he not opening up his eyes? His breathing was swallow and his skin felt like ice. He could see the bruises around his neck from the chain, and his wrists were bruised in the same manner as well. He looked terrible. “Corrin, please.” 

“N-Niles?” Corrin opened his eyes slowly when he felt the warm hand on his cheek. His vision was blurry as he blinked away sleep, but his nose picked up on Niles’ scent immediately. “Niles.”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Niles took his hand from Corrin’s face to undo the chains, tossing them behind him in a pile. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come for you,” he wanted to be angry at the group for causing his prince this much pain, but all he could focus on was Corrin. He needed to get him back to Elise and Sakura immediately. 

“Niles,” Corrin repeated and reached for him, pleased when Niles pulled his cold body into his warmth. “I’m so sorry for what they did to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them. I’m so happy to see you again,” Corrin rambled against his shoulder, shivering. Niles undid his cloak and pulled it around Corrin, attempting to warm him up. “All I’ve wanted was to be wrapped up in your cloak…this must be heaven,” he said and smiled when he felt Niles chuckle. 

“Ah, this is reality, my prince, like I could ever get into heaven. It’s not your fault. I’m happy to see you again too, you had me worried sick,” Niles rubbed his back before picking him up, making sure he covered his feet with the cloak. “Your toes are almost blue.”

“T-They made me walk in the snow,” he pressed his face into his neck, breathing deeply. “You could get into heaven. You’re amazing,” he closed his eyes, ready to go back to sleep now that he was safe and warm. 

“Corrin, you need to stay awake until we get you checked out by your sisters,” Niles told him, exiting the stall, feeling warm all over from what Corrin said. How could he be so sweet in this situation? 

“I’m so tired and cold. You’re so warm, I just need a small nap,” Corrin complained, barely able to keep his eyes open. 

“Lord Corrin!” Kaze rushed over to the outlaw and the prince, worry all over his face. 

“We need to get him out of here, he can barely stay awake. His skin is like ice,” Niles said as Kaze stepped out of the barn, keeping an eye out for any trouble while Niles focused on Corrin. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Niles stopped when he heard Per speak outside of the barn, most likely it was directed at Kaze. “Where is your companion? I know you didn’t come alone. Whoever is in the barn, come out now.” 

Niles stepped out, tightening his hold on Corrin as Per stared at him. “Did ya miss me?” Niles questioned and Per opened his mouth, then shut it again. “Cat got your tongue?”

“How you keep escaping death baffles me,” Per finally grunted out. “I should have ended you myself, I won’t make that mistake again,” his hand went to his sword as Kaze got in front of Niles, ready to defend him. Niles felt Corrin tighten his grip on his shirt, tense at hearing Per’s threat. 

“No, no,” Corrin said, shaking his head. “He’s not taking you away from me again, I won’t let him,” Corrin attempted to pull away from Niles, wanting to be let down so he could fight, but Niles refused, keeping him pressed against his chest. “Niles, please.” 

“Ah ah, you stay put,” Niles told him. “I’m not losing you again, you need to rest.” Corrin looked up at him with an exhausted gaze before giving up and pressing his face against   
his shoulder. Niles’ heart ached at how Corrin was willing to fight for him, even in his poor state. This boy was too much for him. 

“How sweet,” Per muttered, pulling out his sword as Kaze readied himself for an attack. “I’ll cut you down and let your precious prince watch as I—“ he was cut off as he was hit with a spell, freezing him in place. 

“What was that?” Leo questioned as he walked up from behind Per, eyes narrowed as he looked at him. 

“Don’t worry darlings, we’ll take care of him and the others,” Camilla said as she followed her younger brother, axe in hand. “How is he doing?” She looked back to Niles, expression changing to one of worry. 

“He’s warming up, but we need to get him to Lady Elise and Lady Sakura before he loses his toes,” Niles said, looking at Corrin once more. He was looking up at Niles again, trying to keep his eyes open. “He’s exhausted. I found him shivering in the corner of a stall, trying to keep warm under some hay.”

“My baby brother was forced to use hay to keep from freezing to death?” Camilla asked and Niles watched her tighten her grip on her axe as she turned to Per. 

“Let’s get out of here. I guess this is goodbye, Per, for good. I don’t think you’ll be getting out of this one,” Niles nodded with a small grin before hurrying off with Kaze. “Don’t worry, little prince, you’ll be feeling better in no time.”

“M’kay,” Corrin mumbled, pulling the cloak up to his chin. 

\--

Niles watched as Elise and Sakura got to work, saving Corrin from losing any of his toes and getting his body back to its normal temperature. Corrin’s breathing became steadier and color returned to his cheeks as he slept, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets. Niles heard movement in the hallway and turned to see the siblings entering the room. 

“Lord Leo, how did it go?” Niles stood, as Leo entered the room. 

“They’re dead, so it went according to plan,” Leo walked over to him, looking Corrin over. “How is he doing?” 

“Lady Elise and Lady Sakura took care of him. He just needs bed rest, plenty of fluids, and food for the next few days and he’ll be fine,” Niles was happy that there were no complications with his recovery. The only problem was making sure Corrin would actually rest and stay in bed. 

“Good,” Leo said as Camilla brushed Corrin’s bangs out of his face. “You’ll watch over him I presume?” 

“Of course,” Niles answered quickly, surprised the others weren’t making any oppositions to this. He knew the Nohr siblings were used to him, but even then, Camilla wasn’t his biggest fan. 

“He won’t want to see any of us when he wakes up, only you,” Hinoka said, rolling her neck. “Girls get the bath first,” she hurried out of the room while Tamuki rolled his eyes and followed his sister, arguing with her about who got the bath first.

“A bath sounds lovely. Take good care of my Corrin, Niles,” Camilla smiled at him but he could sense of threatening undertone of her statement as she left the room.

“What?” Niles questioned, thrown off by both of the girls’ statements. 

“She is right you know,” Leo patted his shoulder while Ryoma and Xander followed Camilla, staying out of the bath argument. “He does favor you the most, why I don’t know,” Leo said this with a smirk, teasing his retainer. “Make sure to eat and rest, we don’t need you back in bed either.” He patted Niles’ shoulder once more before he left, leaving Niles with pink cheeks, waiting for Corrin to wake up.

\--

Corrin groaned, not ready to wake up. He kept his eyes closed and pulled up the covers as his nose twitched, taking a deep inhale, breathing in the scent of the room. It smelt like the infirmary and something else. “Niles!” He sat up when he picked up his scent, then grabbed his head, feeling dizzy. 

“Woah, be careful, Corrin,” he felt Niles gently touch his arm as Corrin looked up to see him by his bed. 

“You’re really here,” Corrin thought it had been part of his imagination, being rescued by him. “You’re okay? You’re not still hurt?”

“I’m just fine. I should be asking you if you’re okay,” Niles sighed, didn’t the boy ever think about himself? He was too good for the outlaw, way too good. 

“I’m fine! You’re the one that got stabbed. Gods, Niles, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry. I put you in danger. I almost got you killed,” Corrin felt himself tear up at that and he pulled away from Niles, putting his hands over his face. “You could’ve died. I couldn’t live with myself if I got you killed.”

“Corrin, I’m fine,” Niles pulled Corrin’s hands away from his face, hating seeing him cry. His red eyes were glossy, tears threatening to fall. “We’re both fine. Those guys won’t be bothering us again.” 

“I-I just…” Corrin looked down at the bed, tips of his ears red. “What would I have done if I had lost you?" He questioned, shaking his head. "Niles, I love you so much, I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t want to imagine my life without you,” he admitted, not wanting to meet Niles’ eye, too scared of being rejected. “I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same, but I had to tell you while I had the chance.” 

Niles put his hands on Corrin’s cheeks, making him look up and meet his eye. “I told you before that my life was yours, didn’t I?” Corrin slowly nodded his head, making Niles smile. “I don’t want to get sappy, but I adore everything about you. I never thought you would feel the same towards me, it seems a bit unreal, actually. Maybe I’m the one that’s in heaven right now.” 

“This is definitely reality,” Corrin put his hands on Niles’ hands, smiling at him. “I was so worried about telling you. I should’ve listened to Elise and told you sooner.”

“If it makes you feel any better, it took Lady Elise, Lady Camilla, Lady Hinoka, and Lord Leo, to make me decide on telling you, but you beat me too it,” Niles leaned down and kissed his forehead, not daring anything more while Corrin was still in a weakened state. He looked down at him and laughed, seeing the pout on Corrin’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“That’s all?” He questioned, wanting another kiss as Niles sat on the bed.

“You’re not at your best health wise and I’m not going to chance you getting sick,” Niles told him, then smirked and leaned to speak into Corrin’s ear. “Once you’ve fully recovered I’ll make sure to worship your body like I’ve been wanting to.”

“Oh good, you’re awake!” Elise exclaimed as she entered the room, then paused, looking at the two of them. “Why is your face all red? Are you feeling okay?”

“Y-Yes, I’m feeling fine, thank you, Elise,” Corrin tried to regain his composure, but the smirk Niles was wearing made it difficult. She looked back and forth between the both of them before jumping up and down.

“I WIN! I WIN!” She giggled and skipped out of the room. “Hinoka, Leo! I told you they would confess the second Corrin woke up!” 

“Seems like everyone knows how in love with you I am,” Corrin mumbled, embarrassed as he pressed his face against Niles’ shoulder. Niles just laughed again and wrapped his arms around Corrin before kissing the top of his head. 

“It’s okay, they know how in love with you I am, too,” Niles felt Corrin’s arm around him, hugging him tightly as he said this. “We’ll just have to be extra cutesy and embarrassing to get back at them. PDA everywhere.”

“Promise?” Corrin asked, looking up at him with a smirk, all embarrassment gone. 

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why can't I write a romantic scene without adding humor like come on
> 
> thanks so much for reading!


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